Family (Doesn't Forget)
by Cinis
Summary: They're not so different, Jinx and Vi. Caitlyn sees it. Jinx sees it. Vi denies it. Violently. But she sees it too. [oneshot]


A/N: Thank you to my beta readers, ShadowBlazer, Balabalabagan, Joe, Jeff, and Rachel. You put up with me for several weeks as I went through nine different drafts of this short (under 1k words) story. You guys are great.

Note To Prevent Confusion: A lot of people think that Vi is older than Jinx, but according to RiotRansom on the Reddit Jinx AMA, "Jinx is approximately - to use a reference you guys all know - Vi's age. Maybe a little bit older, despite acting and looking significantly younger." Therefore, in this story, Jinx is older than Vi.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I'm not making any money off this.

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**I.**

They're not so different, Jinx and Vi.

Caitlyn sees it.

_Jinx_ sees it.

Vi denies it. Violently.

But she sees it too.

She sees it when she looks in the mirror over the white porcelain sink in her bathroom. It's in the curve of her ears, the line of her nose (even though her nose has been broken more times than she cares to recall), and the stubborn set of her jaw when she gets an idea in her head (which happens more often than her colleagues believe).

She splashes water on her face and she squeezes her eyes shut and she digs her knuckles into her closed eyelids but she can't un-see it.

**II.**

The crazy hermit by the Abyss says she looks like her sister.

"I don't have a sister," Vi snaps before she stomps off through the snow and ice towards the bridge.

Caitlyn is waiting by the first turret. She's standing there, leaning on her rifle. "You don't know that you don't have a sister," says the Sheriff.

"I'm an orphan," Vi says. It comes out much harsher than she intended. But is there any way to make those words gentle? "I don't have a family."

"Nonsense, everyone has a family," says Caitlyn.

Vi is already gone, stalking down the lane with her gauntlets curled into fists.

**III.**

At the end of the match, Vi feels like she's come out of the wrong end of Kog'maw's digestive tract (not that there's a right end). Her face is covered in dried blood (not hers) and she's pulled something in her leg that's apparently super important for walking.

Vi is trying to limp down the stairs of the summoning pedestal when her leg gives out. She teeters for a second but before she can fall, Caitlyn is beside her, heaving Vi's arm over her shoulders and propping the Enforcer up.

Leaning on the Sheriff the entire way, Vi manages to make it back to her quarters. When she gets through her front door, she hops over to her couch and collapses face down on it. "Night," she mutters.

Caitlyn rolls her eyes and walks to Vi's refrigerator. Before even opening it, she asks, "Leftover Ionian takeout or leftover pizza?"

Vi flops over. "Pizza. What did I ever do without you?"

Caitlyn sets the pizza in the microwave. "You probably starved."

Vi laughs. "Oh, yeah, that's what I did."

Caitlyn flinches and, guilt in her eyes, looks over at her partner. "Vi, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up."

Still lying down on the couch, Vi shrugs and slips her hands behind her head casually. "Cupcake, it's fine."

"No," Caitlyn interrupts. "I was being thoughtless. Like earlier when-

Vi cuts her off. "My first memory was sitting in a dumpster waiting for someone who never came back. And my second memory is climbing out of the dumpster because I was too hungry to stay there. I'm like a dead baby joke. It's funny." She tries not to sound bitter.

Caitlyn's face is stone. "Vi, that's not funny. That's awful."

"Yeah, but it's me," replies Vi.

**IV.**

Vi is walking down the wide corridor leading to the cafeteria at the Institute when she hears Jinx.

"You know, I was a babysitter once, when I was, like, seven or something. I changed its diapers and everything."

Vi's head snaps around.

The blue haired woman has Ziggs cornered. The poor yordle's back is against the wall and he's shaking and whimpering and shedding hair absolutely everywhere.

For her part, Jinx is squatting down so she's almost at eye level with the yordle. She's chattering away, "But then I misplaced it. Just forgot. One second I had it, the next-

Vi gets off one, good, solid, punch before Jinx grabs her arm and bites down so hard on the Enforcer's wrist that blood spills out onto the marble floor. They're both kicking and punching and biting and scratching and pulling hair by the time Caitlyn arrives and orders the champions of Piltover to pull them off of each other.

**V.**

Vi's standing at her bathroom sink, having just finished brushing her teeth, when she hears an unfamiliar voice.

"Why hello there."

Vi spins, ready to – to do something, not sure what, not sure who's there, could be anyone, might be-

But it's just Jinx, sitting on Vi's sofa in the living room, holding her rocket launcher. She's got one arm supporting the metal fuselage and she's using her other hand to move the weapon's clanking mouth as if it's talking.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Vi demands. Her gauntlets are on her kitchen table. Jinx and her rocket launcher are in between Vi and her gauntlets. She wants to run forward and leap past to get to her hands, but she's stubborn, not stupid.

"Oh, I let myself in," says Jinx, still using her funny voice, still manipulating the rocket launcher's mouth. Her lips aren't moving (it's ventrila-ventril-ventrilo-something).

"Well, let yourself out."

"I thought we could maybe talk," says the rocket launcher.

The really creepy thing is that Jinx is just sitting there. She's staring at Vi with her weird ass pink eyes. And she won't. stop. staring.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could just all live together in peace?" the rocket launcher continues. "Like… like a family? Just forget about the past, let bygones be bygones?"

Vi's lips press into a tight line. She's hesitating. She's actually fucking hesitating. But her answer's just how it would have been if she hadn't paused. "No."

The rocket launcher sighs. "I just really hoped-

"Family doesn't forget," Vi growls.

Jinx stands up and opens her mouth to say something, then closes it with a sharp clack of teeth. She looks wildly from side to side for a moment, then spins on her heel and leaves.

Vi walks over and closes the door behind her.

**VI.**

Vi goes back to the sink, looks in the mirror.


End file.
